Seth Rekon, the Dark One
by Metatron's Prophet
Summary: An alternate version of the events of the first half of season 5. There is a new Dark One who holds Emma prisoner. The clock is ticking to save a life. Can the heroes of Storybrooke save their Savior?
1. Chapter 1

The group of heroes awoke in Granny's Diner with some of their memories missing. Among them was Snow White, Prince Charming, Regina, Belle, Robin Hood, Captain Hook, the Wicked Witch, three dwarves, two boys and baby Neal. They awoke rather disoriented.

"You're back." Sneezy, one of the dwarves who remained in Storybrooke, said when he walked into the diner. "Are you okay?"

"What happened?!" Regina asked. "How did we get back? And what are we wearing?"

The heroes were not wearing their normal clothes. Regina, along with the other woman, were wearing dresses, Charming wore polished gold armor, and everyone else was wearing medieval-ish clothing. They could tell something very bad had happened.

"Last thing I remember is we were walking into Camelot." Belle said.

"Sneezy, how long were we gone?" Grumpy asked.

"Two months." Sneezy replied, also starting to feel worried.

"Wait," Snow White said. "Where's Emma?!"

Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and the sound of thunder. Now standing in the diner's doorway was a man wearing a black hood, leather boots, and red gloves. There were metal paddings on his knees, elbows, and shoulders. On his shirt, a painted red spade.

"Who are you?" Regina asked.

"I will show you." The man replied, reaching to his belt.

What the man showed them made all their hearts stop. In his hand, he held the Dark One Dagger and it had a new name engraved on it; Seth Rekon. Then, the man removed his hood. He had dirty blonde hair and a handsome face. However, all were disturbed by his eyes. While his pupils were bright green, the rest of his eyes and the skin around them were pitch black.

"In case you did not understand, I am Seth, the Dark One." He said.

"How did you become the Dark One?" David asked, drawing his sword.

"If I wanted you to know, I would not have stolen your memories." Seth smirked.

"Where is Emma?!" Hook demanded in an angry tone.

"Relax, she isn't dead." Seth replied. "I have her."

"Give her back!" Hook ordered, prepared to fight.

"No." Seth said, looking at Hook with a mocking expression. "I need something from her."

The pirate swung his hook at the new Dark One, but the villain disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. At the same time, the storm over Storybrooke worsened.

While the heroes processed what had happened, Seth reappeared in a house in Storybrooke. The home was mainly empty, but did not remain that way. Seth snapped his fingers and the house instantly filled with everything a person could need. A table, chairs, fully stocked kitchen, bed, dressers and, oddly, empty picture frames. After moving in, Seth headed down to his basement. The basement was much like the inside of a cave, with tunnels branching out under the town of Storybrooke. Seth walked to a door close to the stairs. He opened the door and checked on his prisoner, Emma Swan.

She was lying in a bed, her hands and feet in shackles. The only light source in the room came from a single light bulb. Even in the dim lighting, anyone could see Emma present condition. To put it simply, Emma is pregnant and pretty far along.

"Glad to see you arrived where I wanted you to." Seth said.

"My family will stop you." Emma growled.

"I doubt that." Seth replied. "Oh, and don't try to escape. I have created a magical barrier around this room. You leave without permission, and you might lose your child before they are even born. I am not bluffing in the least."

"I don't care what you do to me," Emma said. "Just leave my child alone."

"Afraid you are not in a position to make deals." Seth replied with a smug smile.

Then Seth left Emma alone, with her worries and sorrow. Despite the circumstances, Emma held on to hope that her family would save her and her unborn child.

"Don't worry," Emma said, rubbing her belly. "Our family will save us."

Truthfully, she was saying that to reassure herself.


	2. Chapter 2

Back in Camelot, two months before the heroes' return to Storybrooke, they were lead to the sorcerer Merlin, by King Arthur. Sort of.

"So, the most powerful sorcerer in all the realms is stuck inside a bloody tree." Hook said in near disbelief. "How the hell did that happen?"

"No one knows for certain." King Arthur replied. "But we know, thanks to one of Merlin's prophecies, that one of you will soon set him free."

"Did this prophecy include how we do it, or at least a starting point to work from?" David asked. "We are in something of a hurry."

"Why?" Arthur asked. "Is there something particular you need from Merlin?"

"Our home is being threatened." David replied. "By what is known as the Dark One."

"I see," Arthur said. "Well, that is bad. We, too, have a problem only Merlin can solve. My kingdom is faces the threat of another Dark One."

"Pardon?" Robin Hood inquired. "Do you mean to say that there is more than one Dark One?"

"Yes." Arthur answered. "The Dark One you face is part of a younger dark legacy. When Merlin was but a young lad, there was a Dark One who was part of a legacy of evil that stretched back over fifteen hundred years. Merlin and other heroes of that era managed to imprison him. He has remained trapped until he somehow escaped a month ago."

"Well, that is just great." Hook said sarcastically. "What is this Dark One after?"

"We do not know." Arthur replied. "When he escaped, he took a number of Merlin's books. Most likely, every book that had a reference to him."

"Smart." Regina said. "We will help you deal with your Dark One after we deal with our own."

"Thank you, and now I have preparations to make for the ball tonight." Arthur replied.

After Arthur and his knights left, the heroes began to discuss this new information. They speculated on what the existence of another Dark One could mean.

"This is bad." Emma said. "Now, we have bigger problems than me. I have a feeling this Dark One is not going to try to restrain his powers."

"Do you think he might know Emma is the other Dark One?" Snow inquired.

"If so, then he just made it to the top of our problem list." Regina replied.

"We need to learn everything we can about him." Belle said. "I volunteer to skip the party and see what I can find in Merlin's library. Hopefully, this other Dark One forgot to take something."

"Alright," Regina replied. "Now, let's get ready for the dance. But don't forget to be on guard."

Everyone nodded in agreement, none of them noticing the crow hiding in the branches of the nearby tree, listening intently to their conversation. As they left, the crow flew away, out of the castle and into the forest. When it landed, the crow suddenly turned into a cloud of black smoke. Out of the smoke, a man appeared. This man was holding a dagger with "Seth Rekon" engraved on it. He bent down and picked up a stone on the ground. Then he blew his breath on it and the stone became a beautiful pink-jeweled necklace.

"Finally," He said to himself. "Time to begin."

Back in Present Day Storybrooke…

It is the morning after the heroes' return to Storybrooke. Not knowing what else to do, the seven dwarves prepared for another day of mining fairy dust. They were walking to the mine, when they saw knights on horseback riding toward them. They circled around the seven dwarves, drawing their swords. One knight got off his horse and walked straight to Grumpy.

"I don't know who you clowns are," Grumpy yelled. "But you don't mess with dwarves!"

Grumpy swung his pick-axe at the knight. However, the knight knocked it out of Grumpy's hand with his sword. Instead of attacking the disarmed dwarf, the knight sheathed his sword and removed his helmet. Underneath was a handsome young man with dark skin tone.

"Quite right, Grumpy." Lancelot said, with a smile.

Two months ago, in Camelot…

"You really don't know how to dance?!" Snow exclaimed.

"You don't have to repeat it." Regina replied. "It was embarrassing just saying it myself."

"Well, then I had better give you some quick lessons." David said.

"Fine," Regina replied, then used her magic to instantly change into a stunning dress.

Then, just as the lessons started, there was a knock at the door. A handsome young servant, with dirty blonde hair and green eyes, entered the chamber. He carried in his hands, a small wooden box and walked straight to Regina.

"King Arthur wanted this delivered to you as a gift." He said, handing the box to Regina.

She opened it and found there was a pretty pink-jeweled necklace inside.

"Please tell the king I am grateful." Regina replied.

After she put it on, the servant quickly left the room. What the heroes did not see was his wicked smile as he left. Or how most of his eyes and the skin around them turned black for a brief instant. After leaving the heroes, he made his way to the king's chamber and turned himself into a rat so he could sneak in undetected.

"Arthur, are you certain this is a good idea?" Guinevere said to her husband. "If they free Merlin, you know it could be the end of you."

"I know, but helping them may be the only way I can get my hands on the Dark One dagger." Arthur replied. "Then I can finally complete Excalibur."

Arthur held up his sword, revealing that part of its end had been broken off and that there were engravings on it similar to those on the Dark One dagger.

"Once I complete Excalibur, I will finally be able to destroy the darkness and be remember as the greatest king of all time." Arthur said. "The Dark Ones and Merlin will die by my hand."

Back in Present Day Storybrooke…

"You're alive!" Snow exclaimed. "We thought that Cora killed you, Lancelot!"

"She almost did." He replied. "But I managed to deceive her and escape."

Snow White, David, Regina, Lancelot, and a beautiful woman named Guinevere were having a meeting in the mayor's office. Apparently, the curse that Seth used to bring everyone back to Storybrooke also brought a number of people from Camelot along for the ride.

"I don't understand," Regina said. "Why did Seth bring us back to Storybrooke? Why take our memories? And what does he want Emma for?"

"We would like to know that as well." Lancelot said. "By the way, who's Emma?"

"Our daughter." David answered. "This new Dark One has her and we don't know why. Personally, I vote we track him down and force him to give Emma back."

"David, you know we can't do that." Snow said.

"I am not going to fail to protect her again." David replied. "I had no choice but to send her away when she was but a child. I could not be there for her for twenty-eight years. I was helpless when she absorbed the Darkness. I won't fail her again!"

"I will not pretend to understand your pain my friend." Lancelot said. "But I know that acting recklessly will not help your daughter."

Before the conversation could continue, Robin Hood entered the room.

"We believe we have found most of the people who arrived from Camelot." He said. "But we have found something else. Bodies. Half a dozen of them. All burned down to the bone."

"What killed them?" David asked.

"We don't know." Robin replied. "My Merry men are searching, armed with bows and arrows."

"I will see if I can get some of Camelot's knights to join the search." Lancelot said.

"We will come with you." Snow said.

As they left the office, Guinevere grabbed Robin by the shoulder.

"Among the citizens of Camelot here, did you find Arthur?" She asked.

"I'm afraid not." He replied. "Don't worry. He will turn up."

"I am worried, but not for the reasons that you believe." Guinevere said. "Any love I had for Arthur died a long time ago He is a villain that must be stopped."

Two months ago, in Camelot…

The ball was wonderfully boring. At least that is what Henry said. The music was slow and so was the dancing. Henry stood by the tables, helping himself to food. Just as he pulled out his iPod out of his pocket, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Henry looked behind him shoulder and saw a beautiful girl that was about his age, wearing a purple dress.

"Hi," She said. "Are you as bored as I am?"

"Guess so." Henry replied with a smile.

"I am Violet." The girl said. "You're one of the strangers from another land, aren't you?"

"Yes." Henry replied. "Want to hear some music from my land?"

"How can I?" Violet asked. "Do you have an instrument?"

"Sort of." Henry replied as he put an earbud in her ear.

Together, they listened to "Your Starry Eyes," by Parabelle. You could tell from the expression on her face that Violet clearly enjoyed it. Across the dance floor, Regina saw them.

"Who's that girl with my son?!" Regina asked Arthur.

"That is the daughter of Sir Morgan, one of my finest knights." Arthur replied. "Don't worry he'll be fine. Now, if you would care to dance?"

Regina took his hand and they danced. The King was actually worse than her.

"Sorry, it's just I don't dance all that often these days." Arthur said. "I am constantly busy making sure my kingdom is safe and happy."

"I understand." Regina replied. "And by the way, thanks for the gift."

"Pardon?" Arthur inquired with a confused expression.

"You did send this necklace to me, right?" Regina asked.

The moment the king shook his head, the function of the necklace was triggered. It suddenly turned black and tightened around her neck. Her veins turned black and she collapsed. Everyone's attention became focused on her. Robin ran to her side. Hook was the first to notice Emma's disappearance.

"Bloody hell." Hook said, along with some other swear words.

Emma suddenly found herself in a forest. In front of her was a scary looking man. This man wearing a black hood, leather boots, and red gloves. There were metal paddings on his knees, elbows, and shoulders. On his shirt, a painted red spade. His eyes were disturbing. While his pupils were bright green, the rest of his eyes and the skin around them were pitch black. In his hand, he held a dagger with "Emma Swan" engraved on it.

"Hello, Emma Swan." The man said. "Or do you prefer the Dark One?"


	3. Chapter 3

"You." Emma said. "You're the other Dark One!"  
"Yes, I am." He replied with a smirk. "Name's Seth Rekon."

"How do you have that dagger?!" Emma asked. "What do you want?!"

"Regina did not do a good job of hiding it." Seth answered. "As for what I want, the grandest of my desires will remain secret for now. At the moment, I simply want your power."

Emma's heart began to race. She knew that to take away a Dark One's power, a person had to kill them with their dagger. An easy task when you consider that the dagger gives whoever holds it total control of the Dark One it is tethered to. Even now, Emma was trying desperately to fight or escape, but her body would not obey her.

"If you are going to kill me, just do it already." Emma said.

"Normally, I would kill you, but I can't." Seth replied. "You ever heard of seers? They are people with the ability to see bits and pieces of the future. Long ago, I took that ability from one of them and made it my own. It has proven itself useful."

"What are you saying?" Emma inquired. "What is your point?"

"I can see a piece of the future where I make use of you." Seth replied. "At the time, you won't be a Dark One. However, my plan will be completed, all thanks to you."

"I will never help you!" Emma shouted.

"Oh, but you will." Seth replied. "Now, shut up while I take your power."

Immediately, Emma found herself unable to speak. Then, Seth raised Emma's dagger and pointed the blade at her. He began to chant words which Emma could not understand. As Seth chanted, Emma's chest began to hurt. This pain was like being stabbed slowly with a hot knife. It was not long before She wanted to scream, but because of Seth's command, her mouth remained shut. After a few minutes of chanting, Seth suddenly stopped. At that moment, the Darkness flowed out of Emma's body. The twisted black entity went straight to Seth and was absorbed by his body. When the last of the Darkness was taken by Seth, Emma fell to the ground, now wearing her old red leather jacket and jeans. Seth appearance did not change and his name did not appear on the dagger. He smiled at her, his eyes striking fear into her heart. Then he simply disappeared with the help of his magic.

Once he was gone, Emma quickly got up and used her magic to return to Arthur's castle. She immediately found herself in Merlin's study. The chamber was circular and filled with shelves of books. Regina lay atop a desk at the center of the room. Her friends surrounded her. Hook was the first to notice Emma's presence.

"Swan!" He said. "What happened to you?"

"I'll tell you later." Emma replied. "First, I need to save Regina."

Emma walked over to her friend. All of Regina's veins had turned black and the jewels on her necklace had developed a pulse. Emma was about to remove the necklace with her magic when her mother stopped her with a concerned look on her face.

"Emma, the darkness!" Snow said.

"We don't need to worry about that anymore." Emma replied.

She then continued her action. A light shot from her palm of her hand and flowed onto the necklace. There was a sound like crackling electricity, then the necklace turned to sand.

"Will she be alright?" Robin asked.

"Yes," Emma replied. "She will just need some rest."

Back in Present Day Storybrooke…

"These people were burned straight to the bone." David said.

He, Robin, Regina and Snow were examining the bodies that were found. There was barely a scrap of flesh left on them. Their bones were pure black. A total of six. After they finished, the Camelot citizens covered the bodies and carried them away to be buried later.

"What could have done this to them?" Snow asked.

"There was a faded trace of magical energy on the bodies." Regina replied. "My guess is we are dealing with a magical creature. Probably one summoned by Seth."

"Why?" David inquired. "What is he up to?"

"Not sure." Regina answered. "This guy is basically a complete mystery."

"If only we had been here when those people were attacked." Robin said. "We could have saved them, or, at the very least, seen what we are going to have to fight."

It was then that Regina had an idea.

"We may still be able to see what we are facing with a little magic." She said.

Using her magic, Regina made a dreamcatcher appear in her hands. Then she hurried to one of the bodies being carried away. Once it was set down, Regina held the dreamcatcher over the body. A swirling golden light appeared within the dreamcatcher, followed by an image. This image was of the the creature that killed the people by burning them to death. The image was of a creature that had a snake's head and a lion's body. The creature spat out a ball of fire and the dreamcatcher suddenly caught fire and quickly became nothing but ash.

"So that is what we are dealing with." Robin said. "Looks like chimera. I once hunted one. They are creatures created by magic. They are a mixture of different animals."

"Why did the dreamcatcher burn?" Snow asked.

"The emotions in the memory was so powerful, the magic reacted poorly." Regina replied.

"I'll call Hook." David said. "He needs to know what we're dealing with."

As if on cue, David's phone rang. It was Hook who was calling him. Lancelot and Hook were searching the woods with the Merry Men and knights from Camelot.

"Hook, listen." David said when he answered the phone. "We know what kill those people."

"Let me guess, a creature with the body of a lion and the head of a snake?" Hook asked.

"Yes," David replied. "How did you know?"

"Because I am looking at the beast right now!" Hook answered.

A few miles away, Hook and Lancelot were crouching behind a fallen tree, observing a beast that was sniffing the ground. It's head was covered with green scale and it had eyes that were pure yellow. There was a set of sharp fangs in its mouth and a long, thin fang. the rest of its body was shaped like a lion's with shiny golden fur.

"What do we do?" Lancelot said. "We need to tell David and the other what we've found and we also should not lose track of this creature. We must split up."

"No, we don't." Hook replied. "With this device in my hand, I was able to tell our friends about what we found. They should be headed our way right now."

"What is that object?" Lancelot asked. "Magic?"

Before Hook could answer, he heard a weird noise that was like a cross between a roar and a hiss. He looked to his left and saw a second creature, just like the first, charging toward them.

"Move!" Hook shouted as the creature leapt at them.

They got out of the way just in time. The tree trunk was smashed into splinters. After getting to their feet, the two heroes drew their swords. The other creature was now alerted to their presence and ran at them. Moments before it reached them, an arrow flew through the air and went straight through the monster's right eye.

"Guinevere!" Lancelot yelled when he saw she had shot the arrow.

When Guinevere was about to shoot another arrow, the beast shot a ball of fire from its mouth. She managed to dodge it, but her bow caught fire. Now her weapon was ruined. Lancelot and Hook got between her and the beast. The monster was about to shoot another fireball when two arrows pierced its side. The ones who shot those arrows were Snow and Robin. With them, was Regina, but David was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, chimera!" Regina shouted. "Over here!"

In response, the creature spat another fireball at them, but Regina used her magic to counter it. Then, David ran through the trees with his sword and cut off the beast's head. The monster's corpse disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, leaving only a large fang behind.

"Thanks for the assistance." Lancelot said.

"No problem, old friend." David replied.

Regina bent down and picked up the fang.

"Guys, I think I may be able to use this to find whatever it is these chimeras were searching for." She said.

"Let's start looking then." David said. "We could find a clue to Seth's plan."

As they started following Regina, Lancelot decided to have a talk with Guinevere.

"Why did you come out here?" He asked. "Our people need you to lead them right now."

"I needed to release some anger." Guinevere replied. "After you left, Arthur used the Sands of Avalon to make me his pretty little puppet. I couldn't so much as say "no" to him about anything."

"I know you are angry." Lancelot said. "But don't let your emotions rule you."

Guinevere did not reply. Instead, she stared ahead at a sword in a stone.

"Excalibur." She said with anger and disgust.


	4. Chapter 4

"Why is Excalibur here?" Regina inquired.

"I am not sure." Lancelot replied. "Another question would be how it was placed back into the stone. Somehow, I doubt Arthur did this.

"Now that we have found this thing, what do we do with it?" Robin asked.

"Destroy it." Guinevere said instantly. "This damned sword can do nothing except corrupt good men and ruin lives. We have to destroy it. The sooner, the better."

"Hold that thought." Hook said, as he examined Excalibur. "There is something odd about this sword. The pattern on it is the same as the one on the Dark One dagger."

"How is that possible?" Snow asked.

"The Dark One dagger was made from a piece of Excalibur." Guinevere replied. "That's why."

"What?!" David, Regina, Snow and Robin gasped.

"It is true." Lancelot said. "And, perhaps, we can use this sword against Seth."

"Aye," Hook replied. "Maybe it can control him, like the Dark One dagger does."

"It's worth a shot." Regina said.

"No, it really isn't." Seth said, suddenly appearing a few feet away.

The heroes instantly readied themselves for battle. Hook stepped forward, straight to Seth.

"Where is Emma?!" Hook shouted right in his face. "Tell us, you bloody demon."

In response, Seth simply laughed and used magic to send Hook flying into a tree. Then he began walking towards Excalibur. Together, David and Lancelot swung their swords at him. However, Before they made contact, a black smoke surrounded the blades, which turned them into sand. Robin and Snow each shot an arrow at him, but the same thing that happened to the swords happened to the arrows. When Regina was about to give it a go, Seth immediately used magic to render her unconscious before she could throw her first fireball. Guinevere and Robin ran to her side. Seth now stood directly in front of Excalibur. He stared at it for a moment, then pointed a finger at Hook. Suddenly, black chains wrapped around him. Tightly.

"What are you doing?!" David shouted.

"You are about to find out." Seth smirked.

A cloud of swirling black smoke formed beside Seth. When it faded, someone had appeared. Instantly, the heroes recognized who it was and were utterly shocked.

"Emma." Hook managed to say, staring at her.

Or, more specifically, her belly. It was obvious to all of them that she pregnant.

"How?" Snow inquired. "We were only gone for two months. How can she be-"

"So far along in her pregnancy?" Seth finished. "Amazing how a little magic can help a developing child. Oh, don't give me that look, Hook."

Captain Hook was glaring at the Dark One as if he could kill him with his eyes.

"Come on," Seth smirked. "This is probably the closest I've come to doing a good deed since I became the Dark One fifteen-hundred years ago."

"Wait, I thought that-" David started to say.

"You thought I became the Dark One by stealing your daughter's Darkness." Seth interrupted. "True, I did do that. But I am part of a Dark One legacy that dates back much further than the one you are familiar with. I am older than Merlin and far more powerful!"

"Let me guess, you are about to say we should just give up on trying to defeat you?" Lancelot said. "Like most villains do."

"Indeed, I was." Seth replied. "However, I know you won't because you all have that same light in your eyes. The light which makes you all heroes. And I will enjoy snuffing it out."

"Leave them alone!" Emma said.

"I will." Seth replied. "If you pull Excalibur from its stone and give it to me. Other wise, I am going to kill your friends one by one. Starting with the father of your child."

Emma looked to Hook as the chains around him suddenly tightened, causing him to cry out in pain. She screamed at him to stop, then walked over to Excalibur. Slowly, she grabbed the handle. All of the sudden, words echoed through her mind.

 _Leave the sword alone…_

Long ago, someone had warned Emma not to do this. She could not remember who or where, but the words still echoed through her mind. For a moment, she hesitated.

"Get on with it!" Seth hissed, then tightened Hook's chains again.

Knowing what Seth would do if she did not comply, Emma pulled Excalibur from its stone, despite the warning that still echoed through her mind. The sword came out with no resistance. She held the sword and admired it for a moment, before Seth snatched it out of her hands. He made it disappear with his magic.

"I did what you asked," Emma said. "Now, leave Killian alone."

"Happy too." He snapped his fingers and the chains around Hook vanished.

Hook tried to run to Emma, but Seth stopped him. All he did was raise his hand and Hook was sent flying into a tree. Emma screamed, and her friends ran to him.

"You said you wouldn't hurt them." Emma screamed. "Liar!"

"I am not." Seth replied. "I said I wouldn't _kill_ them. Hurting is not the same as killing."

Before Emma could do anything, Seth used his magic to send her back to her prison.

"Why did you take Emma?!" Snow demanded. "And why spend up her pregnancy?! What are you after, Dark One."

"Let's just say, I have plans that require certain 'elements' to work." Seth replied, right before he used his magic to disappear in a cloud of black smoke.

Two months ago, in Camelot…

The heroes were working on a potion to free Merlin from his prison in the tree, when something disturbing reached them. A story of a beast roaming the forests just outside Camelot. It was like a dog with black fur, but the size of a car and with three heads.

"Shouldn't we do something about the beast?" David suggested.

He was holding his infant son, Neal. Regina, Emma, Belle, and Snow were working on how to free Merlin. Arthur had allowed them use of Merlin's study. All around David, the women were researching and mixing ingredients. Right now, David was feeling a bit useless. He wanted to do something, so when Arthur told him of this beast and how he planned to hunt it with his knights, David was fully prepared to join him.

"David, we are busy here." Snow said. "There is a very powerful Dark One on the loose. We need you here. Arthur can handle this beast."

"Snow, I am not really doing anything here." David replied. "I should make myself useful."

"Actually, if you hunt this beast, you could be very useful." Belle said.

She held an open book up to him. There was a drawing on the left page. A drawing of the same beast Arthur had described.

"According to this book, the beast is known as Cerberus, a monster from the Underworld." Belle explained. "It is believed that its teeth can not only crush anything, but also negate magic."

"So, if I get one of those fangs, we might be able to use it to free Merlin." David replied. "All the more reason to go."

Then he kissed his wife and handed her their child. Little did he, or the other heroes know, Arthur was spying on them with a magic caldron in his private chamber. The king stepped out and spoke to his knights that would accompany him on the hunt.

"I want no trace of this beast left when we kill it." Arthur said. "Especially, its fangs."

Back in present day Storybrooke…

Hook was getting drunk on his ship, the _Jolly Roger._ He had already had quite a bit of rum. No matter how hard he tried,, Hook could not stop thinking about Emma. Especially the fact that she was pregnant with his child. Hook was feeling conflicted. He was going to save his child, of course. However, Hook doubted he could be a father. It was one o'clock in the morning, and he still could not sleep. The former pirate kept remembering the night his father abandoned him and his brother. What if he turned out to be a failure, like his own father?

"Good evening, Hook." A voice spoke from behind him.

Despite being drunk, Hook reflexes were still as sharp as his hook. In a flash, he drew his sword and swung it at the Dark One. However, he was paralyzed by magic before he could land a blow. He struggled for a minute, but it was useless.

"Someone's in a bad mood." Seth mocked.

"Give me my family!" Hook demanded.

"I will." Seth replied. "I will give you your true love, if you do something for me."

"No!" Hook shouted. "I won't make a deal with a Dark One. I know how they all end."

"True, but Emma will soon give birth." Seth replied. "To your child. Are you really willing to leave them at my mercy for the sake of your pride and hatred of Dark One's?"

At that, Hook fell utterly silent. Seth made a bottle of a clear liquid appear in his hand.

"What is that?" Hook asked.

"The same thing I gave your lover to accelerate her pregnancy." Seth answered. "I want you to give this to that crazy, envious witch in the asylum."

"Zelena?" Hook inquired. "Why? Why do you need another infant?"

"I simply need one baby." Seth replied. "And it seems that you heroes used magic to protect Emma's unborn infant. She can not give birth until certain conditions are met."

"And I take it you can't create these conditions?" Hook smirked.

"Yes, and that makes your family useless to me." Seth said, suddenly very serious. "If they are not of use to me, then I can do whatever I want with them. Even kill them."

Again, Hook fell silent. Seth put the bottle in his hand.

"You have two days to decide what to do." Seth said, as he vanished in a cloud of smoke.


End file.
